( some weird news out of Calgary , apparently former pc mp Lee Richardson is strongly considering running in Calgary Heritage although for the liberal nomination , he had been a tory mp for Calgary Centre previously )

“I’ve been a Conservative for 40 years, so this is a big decision,” says Richardson.

“But this is the toughest time for my province in a great many years, and I think Albertans need more strong voices in the federal government.”

Richardson said he still has to talk to his family before making the call to run in Calgary Heritage.

He’d compete for the Liberal nomination, he says, and his candidacy would also have to be approved by the party.

“To say otherwise would be presumptuous,” he said. “It’s not final yet. But yes, I am very interested in doing this.”

He said he’s had encouraging conversations with Liberals for some time.

Richardson has been a fixture on Calgary’s conservative landscape since the early 1970s. He was an aide to former prime minister John Diefenbaker and then worked closely with former PC premier Peter Lougheed.

He was elected as Progressive Conservative MP for Calgary Southwest under Prime Minister Brian Mulroney in 1988. Starting in 2004, he won four straight elections in Calgary Centre for the new Harper Conservatives.

Richardson quit Parliament in May 2012 to become principal secretary to former PC premier Alison Redford. When she resigned two years later, that job ended.

He tried to jump back into federal politics in 2015 when he ran, unsuccessfully, for the Conservative party’s nomination in the riding of Calgary Rocky Ridge.

“I’m definitely from the progressive side of the conservative movement,” he said. “That’s pretty well known.

“I always loved being a member of Parliament and representing the people. I like to think I was very good at it.”

Asked how he’d be able to work with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Richardson said, “I’ve been encouraged by developments in the Liberal government. They are ready to listen.

“We have made progress on Kinder Morgan. But we do need to have Alberta’s voice heard, and constantly, in the federal caucus. That would be my role.”

Harper quit as MP for Calgary Heritage on Aug. 27. No date for the byelection has been announced, but it must be held within six months of the riding becoming vacant.

Former Tory MP Lee Richardson may run for Liberals in Harper’s old Calgary riding

Kelly Cryderman

CALGARY — The Globe and Mail

Published Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2016 9:23PM EST

In a surprise move, former Conservative MP Lee Richardson says he is considering a run for the federal Liberals in Stephen Harper’s old riding of Calgary Heritage.

The veteran political operator, who has spent his career working in conservative circles, said Tuesday that he may seek the Liberal nomination because he wants to get back into politics and believes he can accomplish more in government than in opposition.

Mr. Richardson, 69, said there’s a new sense of urgency given the economic hardship many Calgary families are facing, the result of a two-year drop in oil prices and a corresponding unemployment rate above 10 per cent. He added that he was encouraged by the federal government decision last month to approve Kinder Morgan Inc.’s expansion of its Trans Mountain pipeline.

“We’re in tough times in Calgary,” he said. “I believe a strong, experienced voice in the government is will serve constituents better than a rookie in opposition.”

Mr. Harper officially resigned the riding last August, 10 months after his party’s resounding defeat to Justin Trudeau’s Liberals. A by-election must be called for Calgary Heritage – along with the vacant ridings of Calgary Midnapore and Ottawa-Vanier – early next year.

Mr. Richardson started his career in politics as chief of staff to Alberta premier Peter Lougheed and went on to serve multiple terms as an MP. He has never been overly partisan, however, and has had strong relationships with politicians of all stripes. He was part of a cohort of federal Conservatives often lumped into the “Progressive” category who sometimes clashed with more socially conservative, Reform-minded caucus members.

He retired from federal politics in 2012 to work as an adviser to Alberta premier Alison Redford. But not long after he decamped to Edmonton, her leadership support imploded. Mr. Richardson unsuccessfully vied for the Conservative nomination in the riding of Calgary Rocky Ridge in 2015.

He acknowledged that it won’t be easy running in a riding where Mr. Harper regularly won thundering victories. However, Mr. Richardson said he is well-known in Calgary and has received support from many friends, including Conservatives, to jump back into politics. He also said voters might be more willing to take a chance on voting Liberal in a by-election than in a general election.

He said he will make a decision about whether to seek the Liberal nomination in the new year.

On Tuesday, Conservative candidate Bob Benzen, 57, said it doesn’t really matter who ends up being his Liberal challenger. He said the Trudeau government’s economic policies aren’t doing much for Calgary’s economy and cited Ottawa’s decision Tuesday to restrict oil-and-gas development in Arctic waters as the most recent example.

“The most important thing they’re going to vote on are Mr. Trudeau’s economic policies,” he said.

Lee Richardson emphasized “no firm decision” has been made but acknowledged a bid for the Liberal nomination.

Former Conservative MP Lee Richardson said the possibility of becoming a LIberal candidate is "not a question of partisanship, it’s a question of who can best serve the constituents today at a time when we really need help.”

By Tonda MacCharlesOttawa Bureau reporter

Tues., Dec. 20, 2016

OTTAWA—Lee Richardson, a longtime Progressive Conservative Albertan who was a Conservative MP in Stephen Harper’s government, is weighing a run to become the Liberal candidate in Harper’s former riding, the Star has learned.

In an exclusive telephone interview with the Star from Calgary, Richardson emphasized “no firm decision” has been made but acknowledged a bid for the Liberal nomination in Calgary Heritage “is really what is on the table at this point.”

Richardson, 69, is the former Conservative MP for the riding of Calgary Centre, now held by the Liberals’ Kent Hehr.

Harper, who remained an MP after his party lost the 2015 election, formally stepped down as MP in late August, setting the clock ticking on a six-month period by the end of which a byelection must be called.

Richardson, who has federal and provincial Progressive Conservative roots that go back decades, said, “It’s a big decision, in terms of my background and where I’m from. I’ve been a Progressive Conservative, but I have been a Conservative, and a moderate.”

Richardson said a decision has not been made on either his or the Liberal Party’s side and a nomination race has not been called. But he said, “It’s not a question of partisanship, it’s a question of who can best serve the constituents today at a time when we really need help.”

Once deputy chief of staff to former prime minister Brian Mulroney, chief of staff to former Alberta premier Peter Lougheed, and an MP during two separate periods in Ottawa, Richardson is a cordial and well-known political actor in Calgary. He was an MP in Mulroney’s government from 1988 to 1993, and returned to Ottawa from 2004 to 2012 after Stephen Harper took leadership of the merged PCs and Canadian Alliance.

In Harper’s government, Richardson never made it into cabinet. But he was a popular chair of two key Commons committees — natural resources and international trade — and was well-liked on both sides of the aisle.

He admitted his decision could carry a personal price.

“I may lose some friends on the Reform Party side, I doubt I would lose friends on the Progressive Conservative side, but those are things you consider, and it’s not something I can take lightly.”

Asked what would Stephen Harper think of the prospect his former caucus colleague would run against his old party, Richardson said “I have no idea, you’d have to ask Stephen Harper about that. I have no idea, and it’s not something that would sway my decision one way or the other.”

“I’m a Lougheed Tory, a centrist, a Mulroney Tory, I was never a Reform Party guy.”

He said his reasons for considering a return to federal politics are two-fold.

“First of all I miss it. I miss it a lot. To tell you the truth, I’m sorry I ever left,” he said. “I came out here for a challenge really because of my old mentor and life friend Peter Lougheed who asked me to come back and help out the premier of Alberta at that time (Alison Redford) so I gave up my Ottawa life and my job as an MP. And there wasn’t any job I’ve ever loved more because I’m a kind of constituency MP.”

Richardson served as principal advisor to Redford but did not remain at the premier’s office after she was replaced by the late Jim Prentice.

However, he said he believes Calgary residents are going through a difficult economic period compounded by developments in energy and environmental policy, and he believes he could represent them best within the Liberal caucus, notwithstanding whatever partisan bitterness his decision might cause.

“If there is an opportunity to be a voice in the governing caucus at this time, I think that better serves Calgary now. I mean it’s just a byelection, we’re not changing the government here, it’s not about kicking the guys out or bringing in somebody new, it’s about these people have no member of Parliament and it’s a vacancy in a time when they have no voice and they’re in need of help now. . . . And I look at it and say OK, where are you better served? An experienced strong voice in a government party, or a new person in the opposition?”

Since leaving the Alberta premier’s office, Richardson said, he has “enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren and doing some writing” but did not do any government relations work due to conflict guidelines at the federal and provincial level.

Richardson said working as an MP on Parliament Hill for Calgary constituents was the job that gave him the most satisfaction in his career.

Two Liberal MPs were elected in Calgary in 2015 under Justin Trudeau, including Richardson’s former Calgary Centre riding, now held by Veterans Affairs Minister Kent Hehr, and Darshan Singh Kang won in Calgary Skyview.

As well as the vacancy in Harper’s Calgary Heritage riding, former cabinet minister Jason Kenney resigned his seat in Calgary Midnapore to run for the provincial PC leadership in Alberta.

The Conservatives have nominated Bob Benzen as their candidate in Harper’s old riding.

Benzen is a small business owner and longtime activist who last year launched a billboard campaign to thank Harper for his service to the party.

Richardson said Harper’s riding is “much more demographically similar although not quite as culturally diverse and socio-economically diverse as my old riding of Calgary-Centre. But yeah, it is where I think, culturally, I would be most at home, and I do have a lot of friends there.”

Liberal Party of Canada spokesperson Braeden Caley said the date of the riding nomination meeting has not been set yet.

In an email, Caley said that, “The Team Trudeau candidate in Calgary Heritage will be decided by local registered Liberals early in the new year.”

“Mr. Richardson is among a variety of talented potential candidates who have expressed interest in running for the Liberal nomination in Calgary Heritage and Calgary Midnapore, and the party is in close communication with them about the process.”

well Lee Richardson would make an interesting liberal candidate in Calgary Heritage , any liberal run in that riding would seem doomed for failure , although it does seem that the liberals in seeking out Richardson desperately want Harpers old riding for whatever reason ? they already have a majority and don't need the seat but I guess they hated harper so much, even the though of taking his old riding is too much to pass up

I don't really see how the liberals would do better there during a by-election ? wasn't that theory already put to the test in Medicine Hat ? and a total failure

its true the liberals did much better in both by elections ridings in 2015 election but that year saw record turnout for the liberals and incredible negatively towards the conservatives , something that isn't likely to be the case during a by-election

the demographics of his old Calgary Centre riding and Calgary Heritage are also very different , Calgary centre is much more urban and always a weak conservative riding , where is the southern suburbs of Calgary are a very conservative part of the city

but the new cpc candidate Bob Benzen isn't exactly well known and I'm surprised they didn't try and find someone higher profile for the by election

( an unrelated article in the hill times , indicates by-elections must be called by en of February and its possible trudeau waits till then to do so )

As of deadline on Tuesday, Dec. 20, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Papineau, Que.) had not called a byelection, but according to Elections Canada, a byelection has to be called within 180 days after a riding becomes vacant. The riding of Ottawa-Vanier officially became vacant on Aug. 23 and a byelection must be called by Feb. 19

Besides Ottawa-Vanier, there are two other vacant ridings: Calgary Heritage, Alta., and Calgary Midnapore, Alta., and no by-elections have been called. In Calgary Heritage, former prime minister Stephen Harper’s riding, the byelection must be called by Feb. 25. In Calgary Midnapore, Jason Kenney’s former riding, it has to be called by March 22. Mr. Harper resigned his seat in August and Mr. Kenney resigned his seat in September

By James Wood, Postmedia
First posted: Tuesday, January 31, 2017 02:45 PM MST

The federal Liberals will have a contested nomination in Calgary Heritage but former Conservative MP Lee Richardson won't be among the candidates.

The Liberals announced this week that a nomination meeting will be held Feb. 8 for a byelection in the riding, which was left vacant by the resignation of former prime minister Stephen Harper last year.

Scott Forsyth, Steven Turner and Kanwar Gill have been cleared by the party to run as candidates.

But Richardson, who publicly mused last December about switching teams to run as a Liberal in the riding, told Postmedia this week that he decided not to contest the nomination.

“I gave it a great deal of consideration, and talked to many people, but finally realized that my heart wasn’t 100 per cent in it, and to do that job you have to be completely committed.”

Richardson was elected as Progressive Conservative MP for Calgary Southwest in 1988. Starting in 2004, he won four straight elections in Calgary Centre for the new Harper Conservatives before quitting Parliament in 2012 to become principal secretary to then-premier Alison Redford.

He tried to jump back into federal politics in 2015 when he ran, unsuccessfully, for the Conservative party's nomination in the riding of Calgary Rocky Ridge.

The Calgary Heritage byelection date must be set by Feb. 25. The Conservatives will run Bob Benzen and the NDP has nominated Khalis Ahmed.

It is expected to be held in conjunction with a byelection in Calgary Midnapore, left open when Conservative MP Jason Kenney resigned to run for the provincial Progressive Conservative leadership.

the fact that Lee Richardson is now out of the race for the liberal nomination seems to be an indication the liberals are less optimistic of there chances here . it would seem to me that without a star or high profile candidate they wouldn't have any chance here and even with one they'd still face an uphill battle .

Brendan Miles who was there candidate in 2015 and who got an impressive 25 % of the vote is also oddly missing from the list of 3 approved candidates after he had initially said he wanted to run again

there is also an historical reality working against the liberals , that being government parties generally don't win seats held by the opposition in by elections , the cpc did it a couple times in Quebec and Vaughan but the opposition parties generally hold these seats when they come up

in that riding even if you won the "liberal nomination " that by itself means little , its such a conservative riding , the idea that the liberals had a chance there was a fantasy cooked up in the PMO's office or by liberal friendly reporters in Ottawa , it had no basis in reality

Later this year, Calgary will see two by-elections in adjacent seats in the city’s south, prompted by the resignations of Stephen Harper and Jason Kenney. While neither riding was close in the 2015 federal election – Mr. Harper won Calgary Heritage by 38 percentage points, and Mr. Kenney won Calgary Midnapore by 44 – there are good reasons to believe the contests can tell us a lot about the state of federal politics in the province.

The Liberals are on a high in Calgary, having won two seats in the last federal election and narrowly missing out on a third. The pair of seats, which include federal cabinet minister Kent Hehr (Calgary Centre), were the federal party’s first victories in the city since 1968.

By-elections can be strange beasts. Parties aren’t burdened by having to run a national campaign and can focus their efforts on a handful of ridings all at once. The Green Party has often scored surprisingly large vote shares when able to concentrate on one riding at a time. Voters also have a unique chance to pass judgment on a party without risking a change in government, and sometimes large swings in voter preferences can happen.

During the previous Parliament, two Alberta by-elections in safe Conservative seats had swings large enough, if repeated, to make Calgary Heritage and Calgary Midnapore competitive. In 2012, a by-election in Calgary Centre turned a 40-percentage-point margin for the Conservatives over the Liberals in 2011 into a narrow, four-percentage-point win for the party in a competitive three-way contest. Similarly, in 2014, Fort McMurray-Athabasca saw Brian Jean’s 59-percentage-point margin collapse to a much narrower 11-percentage-point win for Conservative David Yurdiga.

There is even a precedent for governments gaining seats from opposition parties early on in their terms. In the first two terms of the Harper government, the party gained five seats in by-elections, including a pair from the opposition Liberals and another pair from the Bloc Québécois.

Could this happen again? The Liberals do seem to have missed a chance to make Mr. Harper’s former seat interesting, when former Conservative MP Lee Richardson, who had previously represented Calgary under both Brian Mulroney and Mr. Harper, decided against running for the Liberals.

Beyond this missed opportunity, there are ultimately two signs pointing against the Liberals being able to overturn the large Conservative margins in these ridings. First, the polling situation in the province has remained unchanged since the federal vote. In 2015, 60 per cent of Albertans voted Conservative, while a quarter supported the Liberals; the latest poll released by Forum Research indicates that Conservative support in Alberta is at 61 per cent, while Liberal support is at 24. This provincewide margin would have to close substantially for these two Calgary seats to become competitive.

Second, Calgary’s political geography adds its own challenges. As much as Calgary might have a reputation for being a conservative city, the south of Calgary is more strongly so than either the downtown area or the north.

While most evidence indicates the Tories will almost certainly retain both seats, the by-election results can still teach us a few things about the state of the federal parties in the province.

One thing to watch for will be the New Democrats’ performance. In the Medicine Hat by-election last October, the NDP fared abysmally, dropping from third in 2015 to winning a mere 1 per cent of the vote and finishing fourth, behind even the Christian Heritage Party. The Liberals, meanwhile, improved their vote share from 18 percentage points to 26.

A second item of interest will be the vote share of the Liberals. Will Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s approval of pipeline projects at the end of last year pay off with Calgarians? If the party can improve its performance in these two south Calgary seats by either taking votes from the NDP or gaining votes from the Conservatives, it could give hope to the Liberals that they could improve on the four seats they won in the last federal election by potentially picking up more competitive seats in the city in 2019. If not, it suggests that their Alberta campaign still has some way to go.

( in the end someone named Scott Forsyth was nominated as the liberal candidate , never heard of him before and what once looked like a by election that might feature high profile candidates now has 2 main candidates no one has ever heard of before )

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